Vision, Challenges and Solutions in the Development of Professional Social Work in Vietnam: Perceptions of Key Stakeholders

Abstract

It was not until 2010 that social work was officially recognized as a profession in Vietnam when the government approved a national master blueprint to develop social work. This blueprint identified seven strategic objectives including: creating a foundational labor force, developing laws and policies, and raising awareness about social work. This exploratory study examines the degree to which key stakeholders in Vietnam have shared vision and perceptions about the challenges and solutions necessary to make this ambitious plan for Vietnamese social work succeed. An anonymous survey was conducted with 65 policy makers, educators, service providers, and practitioners. The survey revealed that key stakeholders in held a shared vision about Vietnamese social work, focusing on making it a genuine profession. They identified the top challenges for Vietnamese social work as lack of national policy and regulations, lack of public awareness about the profession, and lack of resources to develop high quality social work education. Key stakeholders considered social work to be an integral function of the government and, as such, depend upon the government to lay the foundation for, provide direction to, and make available the resources necessary for the profession to grow. In other words, there would not be a Vietnamese social work profession outside of and without the Vietnamese government, unlike how the social work profession has developed in many western countries.

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“…This is even more so if we consider how social work is positioned in Vietnamese society. As Nguyen et al. (2017: 28) noted in discussing how social work stakeholders conceptualised the profession, ‘there would not be a Vietnamese social work profession outside of and without the Vietnamese government’.…”

“…The study is set in the context of Vietnam where social work is still a nascent profession. It was not until the early 2000s when the concept of professional social work was officially introduced into the national social welfare system (Durst et al., 2010; Hugman et al., 2009; Nguyen et al., 2017). Since then, government initiatives have supported the development of professional social work training and the setting up of social work titles as well as so-called social work centres (Durst et al., 2010; Nguyen et al., 2017).…”

“…It was not until the early 2000s when the concept of professional social work was officially introduced into the national social welfare system (Durst et al., 2010; Hugman et al., 2009; Nguyen et al., 2017). Since then, government initiatives have supported the development of professional social work training and the setting up of social work titles as well as so-called social work centres (Durst et al., 2010; Nguyen et al., 2017). Apart from training provided by the Ministry of Invalids, Labour and Social Affairs (MOLISA) for the continuing professional development of those who are already practicing social work, a number of universities now offer social work degrees (Nguyen et al., 2017).…”

“…Since then, government initiatives have supported the development of professional social work training and the setting up of social work titles as well as so-called social work centres (Durst et al., 2010; Nguyen et al., 2017). Apart from training provided by the Ministry of Invalids, Labour and Social Affairs (MOLISA) for the continuing professional development of those who are already practicing social work, a number of universities now offer social work degrees (Nguyen et al., 2017). This paved the way for the ever-increasing number of social work practitioners being employed in social welfare and social protection centres, hospitals and private social welfare organisations across the nation (Nguyen et al, 2017; Tran, 2016).…”

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“…Recent evidence in that respect can be found in a report on how the Vietnamese authorities engage with practices of social work, which are a quite new phenomenon in the country. Nguyen et al (2017) document this in a research project analyzing how the authorities deal with these emerging practices.…”